Katie & Michael’s Artistic Vintage Meets Modern Farm Wedding

Hello and welcome to another week filled with funky and creative wedding awesomeness! Today I am delighted to share with you the most beautiful photos of a homemade farm wedding infused with a tasteful mix of modern and vintage aesthetics. Katie and Michael are both in architecture so, having a natural eye for good design, you can expect to see an eclectic but cohesive assortment of gorgeous details.

Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come:

The ravishing photos are courtesy of the talented Caitlin Hazelton of Hazelton Photography (If you think her name sounds familiar, that’s because she’s also responsible for our very popular previously featured Dia de los Muertos shoot). Caitlin remembers this wedding fondly:

Katie and Michael’s wedding took place on her grandparent’s farm in Princeton, IL which also houses a farm equipment museum and an old Victorian style house. Katie got ready in the house, they saw each other for the first time among a grove of pine trees on the property, then photos were taken around the grounds including next to the metal silos, against a few of the barns on the property, outside an old house on the property (also a museum of farm memorabilia), in the farm equipment museum, etc. The ceremony took place on the lawn next to the house. In between, guests were welcome to tour the farm equipment museum and enjoy appetizers passed out on plates by catering staff.

Dinner was served under a tent, placed on the lawn next to the museum. Instead of a traditional sit down meal, the couple offered buffet style stations, with salads, make your own sandwiches, and make your own macaroni bar. For dessert, they had a cupcake tower.

I am so happy to have met K&M – they are creative, friendly, sweet, kind, fun and downright awesome. Fate brought them together through their work, and their love of design and details made for one gorgeous unique wedding.

Meet lovely bride Katie who’s here to share their cute story:

Michael and I met at work. He is an architect and I am an interior designer. We met while I was an intern with our company. We spoke probably 10 words to each other that whole summer. Little did I know that Michael had a crush on me. After my final year of school, I came back as a full-time employee. Michael decided that it meant he had to do something. Our first date came a few months later and we have been together ever since.

We really wanted a wedding that felt comfortable. We went for a vintage feel contrasted by a bright, modern accent color (the cobalt blue).

The first look…

Loving everything so far? This next batch of portraits are a must-see. They were taken in Katie’s grandfather’s “museum” of old farm equipment and household items which Katie says “is an amazing collection and people are always surprised when they see it for the first time. It is impressive.”

It is indeed, and the museum made for a gorgeous set of photos. Have a look:

(How beautiful is this shot?)

(I love the pops of cobalt blue against the vintage-y pastel hues!)

The ceremony and reception were held at Katie’s grandparents’ farm which happens to be just outside of her hometown. She grew up going there, nothing can be more personal than that, right? Here’s Katie again to tell us more about how they went about preparing the venue for the event:

Since it was at the family farm, we had to come up with everything from the facilities (go with a toilet trailer if you are having an outdoor wedding!) to silverware.

We held the ceremony in the garden, my parents and aunt planted all of the flowers and my grandparents had the brickwork around the garden redone.

My favorite project were the fabric-wrapped panels. That was an idea I had and I think it was something unique that I have not seen at a wedding. My uncle built the frames and Michael’s parents, my parents, my aunt, Michael and I spent two days wrapping them with the fabric.

After the ceremony, they had cocktail hour in Katie’s grandfather’s “museum” after which everyone moved over to the tent for dinner. Katie shares more about what they did to make their special day uniquely theirs:

Michael and the groomsmen hung the globe lights (that was a production! Note: you need tall ladders or a lift of some sort to get to the top of one of those tents! Luckily, there was a neighbor who could help us out) and Michael’s sister and brother-in-law hung the Chinese lanterns.

We purchased mis-matched china and vases from second-hand stores. We also used some of my grandfather’s antiques as decor, like the floral arrangements at the entrance to the tent. My friend, who is also an interior designer, has a floral business and did the flowers. She has such a wonderful talent! I gave her minimal details and mentioned that I wanted to use succulents and craspedia and she came back with the perfect look to top off our vision. I am still thrilled with how the flowers turned out.

And now we have some words of advice from our beautiful bride:

It is important to have someone as a coordinator the day of the wedding. There are so many last minute details and vendors coming and going that a point person to oversee everything is very helpful. We didn’t really have one, but I asked my brother and sister-in-law if they could meet the vendors when they arrived. It probably would have been better if it wasn’t a family member so they could have relaxed a little bit before the wedding.

Another bit of advice, have fun! Once your wedding day arrives, there is nothing more you can do or control. I remember having a huge smile on my face all day and feeling so content and relaxed. Everything could have fallen apart, but I wouldn’t have cared. It was the best day of my life.

A huge thank you to Caitlin (who Katie says “is amazing to work with and her work is outstanding!”) for sharing her stellar photography with us, and congratulations Katie and Michael! Thank you for sharing your special day with us.